The Endless Love
by Kuroi-Yasha
Summary: All that rises, must fall. Everything that shines, must fade. And so too will you see how bright the light shines...when you're about to die.


_**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own the Vocaloids or English-oids. Nor do I make any profit off of this story. **_

* * *

'_Have the lights always been this bright?' _

Her muddled mind wondered as the intense heat of the fluorescent beams bathed her in their artificial rays. Though it did little for her, as she began to feel herself begin to go cold despite the warmth of the lights. The exhilaration that previously filled the room was gone, now replaced with an immense presence of horror, panic and fear.

'_**Of course they have idiot. You just never noticed since the lights never left you huh?'**_

The bitterness of the voice that responded to her would have made many others cringe, yet they did nothing but bring a small smile to the young woman's lips. And had lethargy not seemingly stolen her strength she would have found herself nodding in agreement. Ever since she'd begun her rise to fame, never once had she left the glory of the limelight. Even when she had stood on this very stage for the first time, she had not so much as flinched at the power these lifeless beams granted her.

'_Yeah…guess everything just seems brighter…when you're about to die…'_

* * *

_The Endless Love_

By: Kuroi-Yasha

First Movement: **Nekomimi Switch**

* * *

_He was angry again._

_This wasn't really surprising to her. She never really understood why he was angry. But she could see that every time his eyes landed on her, a flicker of something would pass over his features, and then he was angry._

_She didn't like him when he was angry. It always ended with yelling, crying, and lots of pain._

_Then again she really didn't know him any other way other than angry. So she supposed she didn't really know him at all? Therefore she could say she didn't like that man. But whenever she thought about not liking him, even hating him, her heart would hurt her much worse than anything he ever did to her could. She didn't really understand, but maybe it didn't matter. After all, he saw her and he was coming towards her._

_Her face felt wet. Why was her face wet? A small hand came up and felt a single stream of clear fluid on her face. Were these tears? She usually didn't cry until later on at night, when she was alone, or when her older sister was asleep._

_Sister…that's why she was crying. She looked up and saw a slightly taller girl standing protectively before her. She was yelling at him, and this made him angry…er? She had seen him angry before, but it seemed worse than ever before. _

_Their words made no sense to her. In fact there was no noise at all, just lots of movement of their mouths and small movements of their hands and arms as they yelled. That much was certain, they were yelling. _

_Over her. _

_As usual…. _

_Actually, if she was truthful it was only recently that they began to yell over her. Truthfully, she wasn't even really her sister, she'd only met her a few months ago. Her and her new mommy. They were nice to her, and she liked them. It was pretty hard to tell they weren't a real family. They all shared the same hair and complexion, but their eyes were different. With her own being the most dazzling shade of Aquamarine, just like her mother's. Or at least that's what he said when he was the most upset._

_But it didn't matter anymore. He'd finally had enough and pushed her older sister out of the way hard enough to hit the wall. She felt her small mouth cry out in worry for her, her elder sibling's name leaving her lips in a frightful plea. Her aquamarine orbs met briefly with just as frightened hazel, before being drawn upwards to gaze upon frigid emerald. His mouth moved as soundless words rang in her ears, his arm rising slowly in the edge of her vision as her tears renewed their downwards trail with new vigor. Then his hand came down in a blur of hatred._

"_**MIKU!"**_

* * *

A scream of pure terror was the first thing that greeted her ears as her vocal chords cried their song in response to her fear. Teal globes gazed about her room in an unfocused frenzy as she tried to scramble from her bed in her state of panic. So strong was her fear that she didn't even notice the other presence in her room, nor the hands that were on her shoulders when she'd let out her terrified wail. And perhaps wouldn't even have noticed them at all if it wasn't this very presence that caught her in a protective embrace when her feet tangled in her sheets and sent her plummeting towards the floor.

Her impact with the floor was the only thing that brought her back to reality. Finally regaining control of her senses she immediately felt a sharp throb of pain in her knee from its unexpected and sudden impact, as well as the small whimper of pain that was emanating from under her. Cringing slightly at the throb in her knee, she was nonetheless able to raise herself onto her hands and knees to discover a bright mass of red. The princess styled curls of her savior from a surely painful encounter were now added to the list of unwary victims as one had given its life to cushion her head's impact with said floor.

"Teto! Oh I am so sorry, are you alright?"

Said girl opened her pale pink eyes as a pained smile formed on her features. "Yup, because nearly being crushed by my older sis is something that happens to me regularly…" her cheeky response was not what the older girl had expected, but certainly helped to calm her worry at injuring the smaller girl. Sighing softly the older girl slowly pulled herself to her feet, even as the younger girl seemingly just leapt to her own feet. "Honestly Teto, I could have really hurt you." The red-headed girl ignored her words however as she looked up at the slightly taller girl.

"Nah, I'd have been fine sis. We Chimera are built of tougher stuff!"

A roll of the eyes was all the response she gave at that comment. She wasn't exactly sure where the younger girl had heard of Chimera's, or even how she'd convinced herself that she was of the same mythical breed. Their mother however, had assured her that it was harmless and that the younger girl would outgrow it…hopefully.

"But what about you sis? Are **you** okay? You looked like you were having a nightmare when I tried to wake you."

Greenish-blue eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. She couldn't really recall what she was dreaming about. But she did feel a sense of unease at trying to recall her dream, almost bordering on dread. A quick flash of hard emerald and concerned hazel was all she recalled before the dream slipped away. A confused expression quickly took its place on her profile as she sighed softly. "I guess I might have…but I don't really remember much." Teto looked up at her elder sister with a slightly disbelieving look, "You sure? That was a pretty scary scream and you looked like you and mom say I did when that dog chased me when I was six." A small smile graced the elder girl's lips at the memory of her younger sister's frightened cries and terrified features as she ran away from the small puppy that had merely wanted to play with her.

Chuckling slightly the older girl placed a hand on her sibling's head before softly ruffling the mass of red hair. "Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine. But you might want to have mom fix your hair since it, like you, sacrificed itself to save me earlier." A small cry of horror escaped the small red-head as she raced to the mirror to look at her deflated curl, before she tore out of the room like a bat out of hell.

"MOM! MOM! MIKU KILLED MY HAIR!"

The exaggerated cry drew another chuckle from Miku as she set about gathering her things for a quick shower before school. But as her gaze absentmindedly shifted to the mirror a faint feeling of sorrow filled her heart as she looked at herself and felt a vague sense of loss.

'_**Don't worry, I'll protect you from now on. So you can always count on me Miku, I promise.'**_

The voice in her sudden memory startled Miku. It seemed so familiar to her, yet she had never heard it before. And it filled her with a sense of security that only her mother was able to give her. Shaking her head to clear her mind she glanced at the clock and noticed she'd have to hurry if she wanted to have breakfast with her mother and Teto.

'_**Always…'**_

* * *

"Good morning Miku dear." The soft melodic voice of her mother greeted her as she entered the kitchen. Teto was already there as well, contently eating a large piece of toasted French bread with butter, her curls revived. She smiled at her mother as she took her seat beside her younger sister and thanked her for the plate of eggs and toast. Haku Yawone, or at least that was her maiden name, was the only mother Miku knew but she wouldn't trade her for anyone else. Kind and reserved she was the perfect match to her husband the often brash, but good humored and lively Ted Kasane. Miku knew she was adopted, but her parents never made her feel any less loved because of this fact and always did their best to make her feel as at ease as possible.

"Teto tells me you had nightmare."

Blue-green eyes narrowed into a glare that was sent at the smaller girl, only to be countered with a cheeky grin and a cry for more bread. Sighing in defeat the elder girl was met by the concerned visage of her mother; putting on a small half smile she shook her head in the negative, "I can't really call it a nightmare, since I really don't remember much. But I did feel some unease so I know it was something unpleasant." She informed the older woman, who nodded; though she seemed a little troubled by this news, as she handed another slice of bread to the small red-head. "I thought I heard a scream, but I wasn't too worried since I sent Teto to get you. I'm so sorry Miku, I should have gone to investigate right away…I'm a terrible mother…"

The two girls at the table could only roll their eyes as their mother began to over-react again. Haku was indeed a wonderful mother, but whenever she felt she made a mistake she would spiral into a very sudden depression. This of course was only temporary, but the only person who could seem to snap her out of this mood quickly was their father and since he wasn't here at the moment they continued with their meal in relative silence. Finishing their food both girls picked up their dishes and placed them in the sink. "Thanks for the meal!" They both called over their shoulder as they picked up their bags and began to head towards the door.

No sooner had they gotten to the door that it opened to reveal a rather disheveled red-haired man in a crumpled business suit. A cry of "DAD!" was all the warning the man got before he was nearly bowled over by the smaller red-head. The man laughed softly as he placed his suitcase down and gave his over-excited daughter a hug, "And a good morning to you too Teto! Have you been a good girl while I was away?" The girl nodded excitedly and Miku sensed she was about to launch into a tale of unending details and length, and was quick to intervene.

"Good morning dad. How was your trip?"

Her father's garnet orbs turned to her and he gave her a bright smile as he detached himself from Teto and made his way to her, "Good morning to you as well Miku. And same as always I suppose. Piko lost our presentation disk and we had to haul ass to make a new one. All in all it turned out better, and I think we secured the contract we were after. But many an ass were chewed if you get what I mean." He winked at her humorously and she fought to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape, "How were things here while I was away?"

Before Miku could reply a depressed cry of "I'm a terrible mother!" resounded from the kitchen. The elder male Kasane sighed as a small smile came over his lips, "Haku's over-reacting again huh?" A nod of affirmation was all Miku could give, "Guess I've got my work cut out for me huh? Well you girls get going to school; I'll handle your mother." Both girls nodded as they put on their shoes and departed with a "Have a safe trip" from their father and a "Terrible mother" from the distraught Haku. A small giggle left both sister's lips as the headed to school.

'_Guess everything's back to normal huh?'_

* * *

'_Back to normal indeed.' _Miku thought to herself as she sat alone yet again during lunch.

This was not very unusual for her. Because of her hair and eyes, she was often treated as a foreigner despite being born in Japan. Staring at the slightly warped reflection of herself in the metal tray that carried the school lunch she had purchased, she began to examine herself. Her pale complexion was not too uncommon since most of her classmates were also lightly skinned; her facial features were likewise similar to most girls her age and she was slightly shorter than average. But the problem lay in her two most prominent features: her eyes and her hair. After all how many Japanese girls were blonde with blue-green eyes?

Were that not enough, she was also ignored and even resented because of her impressive grades and vocabulary. She found that quite ironic, since the only reason for that was because she had no one except for her family to converse with. As a result, much of her free time was spent reading books, studying, singing and practicing her violin and piano skills. So in a sense, ignoring her because of her grades only served to help her improve them, which in turn led to more resentment.

'_Guess that's what they call a vicious cycle huh?' _She giggled softly before she went back to eating. What was the point in worrying anyways? She'd been ignored all of last year, what difference would it make now in her final year of middle-school? Nodding to herself in self-affirmation she decided to finish eating her meal, and was therefore unprepared for the sudden arrival of a girl at her otherwise desolate table.

"Yo! That's some awesome hair ya got there! Is it dyed?" The energetic outburst caused her to yelp and drop her chopsticks in shock. Someone was talking to her? Looking up at the speaker she was met with quite an odd sight. The girl before her was no older than her, yet she'd never seen her here before. After all she would be able to remember such bright, short-cut green hair anywhere. Her eyes were also a bright emerald and a smile not unlike her younger sister's was on the girl's lips, which were parted just enough to show a small flash of straight white teeth. Miku felt a flash of envy at the sight of the mystery girl's teeth, she herself was still wearing braces, and according to the dentist would have them on for another year before they were removed.

"Hey! Ya alright? Hello?!"

The girl's words snapped her out of her temporary envy induced stupor, and a blush quickly covered her features. "Y-yes, s-sorry. Uhm, n-no my hair i-isn't d-dyed. S-sorry…" She ended weakly as the other girl leaned in closer to inspect her when she denied dyeing, or in this case bleaching, her hair. After a couple awkward seconds of examination the mystery girl nodded, before taking a seat.

"Alright, I believe ya. Not that there's anything wrong with dyeing it, after all my hair is dyed."

Miku could only nod dumbly as the girl proceeded to pull out a carrot shaped lunch-box and opened it to reveal several types of carrot based foods. And with an odd "Chow-down time!" proceeded to do exactly that. Despite her best attempt, Miku found herself watching in what might be called bewildered fascination as this girl came out of nowhere, asked if her hair was false, then just sat and began to eat with table manners akin to those of a starving man. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she gathered her courage and cleared her throat to gain the green haired girl's attention.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?"

"Um…eating?"

A small twitch occurred in Miku's eye. Odd, that only happened when she was dealing with Teto.

"I can see that much."

"Then why'd ya ask?"

'_Oh yes…' _she thought as the twitch struck again, _'…definitely like dealing with Teto.'_

"What I mean is, why here?"

"I'm not allowed to eat here?"

"No. I mean yes... I mean…"

The green haired girl giggled as Miku began to trip over her words. "Ya know you're pretty funny. I think I'll sit here with ya from now on. I just moved to the Machinami ward a few days ago so I don't really know anyone and people here seem to not like my hair." A feeling of empathy washed over her, so they weren't really very different huh? And they both lived in the same neighborhood! "And I saw ya sitting here alone and your hair caught my eye and I thought 'She looks interesting and her hair's cool' so here I am." A sheepish smile flitted across the green haired girl's features at the end of her explanation/rant.

Miku herself was at a severe loss for words and a small blush began to dust her cheeks. Ever since she'd started school she'd been the outcast because of her hair, and had even been bullied a few times in elementary school. As a result, she'd slowly come to hate her hair. Yet here was a girl who not only liked her hair as it was, but also dyed her own hair to fit her own unique style and didn't care what other people said.

"Y-you do know I'm the outcast right? If you sit with me and talk to me, people will ostracize you as well."

"My popularity isn't very high in case ya didn't notice and it probably isn't gonna get any better anyways. And that austra-whatever word ya said…"

"Ostracize." Miku repeated.

"Yeah that one! I don't know what it means, so I don't care. So waddaya say? Friends?"

Miku stared into the smiling face of this mysterious green-haired girl then at the outstretched hand in utter shock. This girl had just shown up, showed a total disregard for popularity and what society deemed acceptable (as well as table manners) and wanted to be her friend after just meeting her? She could have said no. She could have just walked away from this weird girl, or just out right ignored her. But for the first time since she was six, sitting in the orphanage as she was introduced to her new family, a feeling of happiness swelled within her and she found herself smiling just as brightly as the green haired girl as she grasped the outstretched girl's hand.

"I…I'd like that very much. My name's Kasane Miku."

The girl's smile widened even more at the response, "Nice to meet'cha Miku. My name's Megumi Masami. But ya can just call me Gumi!"

* * *

'_That's how I first met Gumi…' _A small, but truer, smile began to form on her lips. She had to admit that while she hadn't been miserable per se, it was only until after meeting Gumi that her school days became more than just a requirement. They started to become days she could actually enjoy. They became times where she could laugh, joke and even tease someone who wasn't her family. _'Of course…nothing is ever that simple…' _

* * *

It was subtle at first. But slowly it began to become clearer and clearer as time went by.

Teto did not like Gumi.

Now this wasn't to say that Miku was unperceptive or dim-witted. Granted, she herself admitted that she would probably never win a Nobel prize or any such thing. However, this was a matter that concerned her little sister and if there was anyone she was perceptive in regards to, it was Teto. This was one such instance. It had been a full year since that odd day she'd met Gumi, and both girls had just begun their first year of High School. As such they now had to take a slightly longer walk to get to their new school. This led to a slight problem. While still relatively close to both of their homes, the path required to get there led them in the opposite direction of their old school. The school thirteen year old Teto would still be attending.

Up until just a few months ago Teto had managed to keep her dislike of Gumi to a minimum. But it seemed that this no longer mattered to the younger girl. She'd ignore the older girl's attempts at conversation. She'd snicker whenever anything unfortunate happened to Gumi, and would even go as far as to not even acknowledge the other girl's presence. Of course Miku apologized each and every time for her sister's behavior, to which the green haired girl would respond with a carefree smile and a reassurance that she was fine. And it was recently that Teto had begun to distance herself from her as well. She assumed it was because she'd told their parents about the small red-head's behavior. It was after all unfair and unneeded and the girl had received a fierce scolding from her father and even a reprimand from the soft-hearted Haku. Yet when asked why she was acting in such a manner, she never replied. It bothered her, but it was clear that Teto would not explain her reasons to anyone, no matter how much Miku begged or pleaded.

So it was with a heavy heart that she watched the small form of her sister walk away from them. Gone was the smile she'd always give her and the "I'll see you later sis!" she'd yelp out as she took off to her class. Now she was lucky if she'd get a glance from the younger girl before she left. It tore at her heart, and she was amazed that she lasted a whole month before she broke down. It was a stroke of luck that her parents were going to visit relatives and had allowed her to stay at Gumi's, while they took Teto with them to visit Haku's older brother Dell. Poor Gumi had been so overwhelmed. One minute they were fine, contently talking about random nothings, the next Miku was sobbing uncontrollably into the green haired girl's shoulder. To say Gumi was most likely uncomfortable was akin to saying the ocean was big and wet.

"God…I'm so…sorry Gumi." Was the first coherent thing to leave Miku's mouth after fifteen straight minutes of sobbing. Though even that was a stretch as the apology was broken up by hiccups and sharp intakes of breath. The reassuring smile Gumi gave her was ruined by her grimace at encountering a particularly moist and slimy spot on her favorite shirt. So it was that despite the fatigue she felt after her breakdown, that a small laugh escaped her lips at her best friend's facial expression. And soon both found themselves laughing uncontrollably despite themselves for a measureless stretch of time.

* * *

"Ya know Miku, maybe some stress relief will do ya some good." The green haired tom-boy proposed hours later as the blonde stepped out of the bathroom clad in her pink with white daisy patterned pajamas. The blonde in question raised a light colored eyebrow in response to her friend, her hands busy finishing drying her long wet hair after her bath.

"What I mean is," The tom-boy elaborated upon seeing her friend's reaction, "ya should do something fun, something silly, something…"

"Gumi-ish?" The blonde offered with a teasing smile.

"EXACTLY!" Was not the response she expected, as a look of surprise came across her features at her friend's content grin. "I don't think you quite understood what I was implying Gu…" She began before being cut off, "No. I understood perfectly and it fits, so I'm goin' with it!" Seeing Miku was at a loss for words she figured it was now or never. "Wait right here, I'll be right back." And before she could form some kind of protest the green-haired menace was gone. Sighing to herself she figured she'd at least hear her out before making any judgment.

And as she took a moment to examine her friends room, she became aware as to why the girl was reluctant to have her over. While Gumi had been to Miku's house several times, this was in fact the first time Miku had been to the green-haired girl's humble abode.

Literally.

While Miku's family was a more or less well to do middle-class, her best friend was obviously not so fortunate. Her room was quite bare, and lacked any real flare that could usually be found in a young girl's room. Her bed was clearly not new and had likely been given to her by an elder member of the family. There were really only three things in the room that made any impression as to who the room belonged to. The first was a slightly battered carrot shaped plushy, a clear reminder as to who the resident was.

The second was an autographed poster of the popular rock/metal singer CUL, a gift given to Gumi by Miku herself for the girl's fifteenth birthday. That had been an interesting event, as Miku would forever remind herself to never anger the green-haired girl. If she hugged her that hard from happiness, she worried what something born from anger would cause her. The poster itself had originally been a present from her father Ted, who had received it as a gift from the artist herself while on a business trip. Miku didn't really ask for details, not that she'd have received any even if she had. Confidentiality and all that.

The third was an old, but obviously well cared for silver-burst Gibson Les Paul. It had been the first thing Gumi showed her, and the pride in her voice when she told her about it was an indicator as to how much it meant to her. It had been her grandfather's, someone Gumi had obviously cared about very much. And had it not been inherited to Gumi via her grandfather's will it would have most likely been pawned or sold off by now to try and help make ends meet. Something Gumi felt great shame in admitting. Though Gumi didn't blame her parents, they tried very hard to provide for the family as best they could. And as Miku ran her hand along the smooth strings and heard the soft hum of the musical vibrations she could feel the love her friend no doubt put into the instrument.

"I'm back!"

The excited cry caused Miku to tear her eyes away from the musical instrument and turn to face her friend, a sincere smile gracing her lips. "Geez, what took you so lon…" The words, as well as her smile, died a very sudden death as she saw the objects in Gumi's possession. "No…no Gumi. I refuse. Not happening!" The negative replies to the unspoken question continued to leave her lips as she retreated slowly, even as Gumi advanced on her a devious smile on her lips and a near sinister twinkle in her eye. "Don'tcha fret _meow_." Gumi taunted, her smile widening as Miku's look of horror increased. "It'll all be over before _nya _know it."

Miku's scream was heard many a blocks away.

* * *

"I can't believe I did that…" Miku's head hung low in shame two days later on the walk to school. The satisfied snickering of her best friend didn't do much to help bolster her spirits either. "Where did you even get a camera or those…those…" She leaned in close and whispered _'Cat Ears' _as if it were a dirty word into Gumi's ear.

A quirked eyebrow was all she received as a response at first, until her glare reached level two and Gumi began to squirm slightly. "Haha…well," The carrot-lover began as she started to feel uncomfortable under the heated gaze being pinned on her, "they belong to my older sister see, along with the paws and tail. She's big on the whole cosplay deal. Or so she claims to be. Personally I think that they're for…" she paused there and quickly looked away from Miku's questioning stare, a look of horror briefly crossing her features. "Actually, forget that line of thought." She quickly amended as she offered the blonde a disarming grin. Deciding it was probably best for her sanity and dignity Miku allowed the subject to be dropped. "The video camera belongs to my dad and is actually from his job. And the music was made by me!" Gumi stated proudly as the blonde walking besides her sighed and shook her head.

"That still doesn't change anything now does it?" The petite girl questioned, her gaze returning to her friend. The slightly taller girl shrugged lightly, "Personally I thought ya looked adorable. I'm sure the video will be a huge success!" The emerald-eyed girl smiled sincerely upon completing that statement, and Miku could feel her face begin to heat up and her heart began to beat a little faster for some reason as well. That is before the statement fully registered in her mind.

"What?! No, Gumi please! It was bad enough you coerced me into doing that whole debacle, don't just finish off my dignity like a lame racehorse!"

"I'll pretend I understood what ya were ramblin about there." The slightly older girl shook her head and turned to face her best friend, "Seriously Miku, no one is going to know it was you. We went through several precautions to ensure that remember?" The greenette reminded, forcing herself to speak without her accent to prove her seriousness in the matter.

"Changing my last name to Hatsune, as well as using temporary hair-dye to make my hair and eyebrows teal and then styling it into twin-tails is hardly going to throw people off!" The blonde countered, using what she believed to be basic logic.

"Works for Superman. And ya forgot that nobody in the school has heard ya sing remember?" Emerald countered smartly.

"Even then, what if…" Aquamarine tried to rebutter.

"Plus who'd actually believe that the shy, mousy, blonde haired girl in class was the same girl as the one confidently strutting around and frolicking in a cat-girl outfit while singing on screen?" The cocky tom-boy concluded with deadly accuracy.

Miku fixed the tom-boy in question with the deadliest glare she could, before sighing in both exasperation and defeat. "I should feel insulted, but I can't really say I disagree when you put it like that."

"That's the spirit! Plus if the video hits it big, ya might even be offered a chance to sing with a record label! Wouldn't that be amazing?!"

Even though she said that with unwavering excitement, the far off look in her eyes was a dead give away to Miku. She knew that singing professionally was the green-haired girl's dream. And even though her voice was good and she had the dedication, she lacked the money to be able to take vocal lesson's to improve her ability. And while she had joined the school choir in hopes of getting better, the group was much too large to allow the teacher to focus on any one student. Miku had even offered to ask her mother if she could give Gumi some tips, since Yawone Haku had been a fairly well known singer before she'd married Ted Kasane and gave birth to their daughter Teto. But Gumi's pride had proven too stubborn as to accept any "Hand-Outs" as she put it.

Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that morning Miku allowed herself to smile at her best friend. "Then I guess we better hope _'Hatsune Miku's: Nekomimi Switch' _hits it big huh?" she replied as a genuine smile returned to Gumi's profile. _'If the video does make it, I'll make sure you can follow your dream too Gumi. Even if I have to beat you with a carrot until you accept the help. I promise.'_

* * *

'_Gumi said the video would be a big hit, but I don't think even __**she**__ had expected it would happen!'_

* * *

It had been a little over a month since the video for _Nekomimi Switch _had been posted on the internet. And for the first few weeks things had gone about as well as Miku thought they would. They had achieved a whopping thirty-nine hits, and to say Gumi had been crushed was an understatement. Miku had done her best to console her friend and suggested that maybe they needed to wait a little longer. Gumi had of course interpreted this as "Press the refresh button Gumi!" and had proceeded to do that for the next ten minutes. Naturally this did nothing but annoy the blonde and she was quick to scold the green-haired girl for her childish behavior.

"B-But we worked so hard on this!" The olive-eyed girl cried morosely as she finally gave up her fruitless endeavor. And just as quickly let her head drop lamely onto the hard surface of the desk in Miku's living room where their computer was set up. It was true to an extent, Miku had to admit. Even though her part couldn't exactly be called her best in any way shape or form. Regardless even she would admit that she had had some fun dancing and frolicking to the song her friend wrote. The lyrics were catchy even if somewhat nonsensical at times. And after she'd heard the music that went along with it, she'd never have guessed that her random and flight-of-fancy movements would fit oh so perfectly with the rest. All in all this was indeed something that could be called decent for a rookie film student, and the fact that it was made by two high school freshmen with no prior experience or training was almost unfathomable. Looking at it that way, thirty-nine measly views was kinda…

"Sucktastic…"

A light colored eyebrow rose at her vibrantly colored friend's _creative _wording. Nonetheless, her sentiment was something that Miku could empathize with. Sighing in an exasperated manner Miku placed a comforting hand on her friend's head. "Hey, we tried at the very least right…?" When her query received no response the blonde sighed again and took the mouse from her friend intending to close the page and then shut down the computer. Yet, instead she found herself moving the mouse towards the 'Refresh' icon that her friend had previously been abusing. Looking back on this event, she still couldn't find a reason as to why she did this. Nor did she recall muttering "Maybe you're just unlucky Gumi", as she was later told by the emerald-haired girl herself. All she remembered was pressing the icon and waiting.

_Hatsune Miku: Nekomimi Switch _

_Views: 55_

Miku blinked. Then she blinked again to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Gumi had spent nearly ten minutes pressing the same button and had yielded no result. Yet, on her first try the seemingly stubborn numbers had increased by sixteen in less than two minutes. _'Must be a fluke. With so many people using this website it's only natural that some people would come across the video.' _Yet, even she couldn't deny the exhilaration that began to build in her stomach. And before she could stop herself, her hand clicked the button again.

_Hatsune Miku: Nekomimi Switch _

_Views: 78_

Her eyes began to widen as she looked at the screen, that just wasn't possible. The video had been up for more than three weeks, and had barely crawled up to thirty-nine. And now, in less than the span of twenty minutes it had doubled?! That just wasn't possible. And yet again before she could register what her hand was doing she clicked the button again.

_Hatsune Miku: Nekomimi Switch _

_Views: 118_

"GUMI LOOK!" She couldn't help herself. At that point the sheer unrealism of the situation took a hold of her and she unconsciously raised her voice from excitement as she shook her friend. The girl in question was knocked out of her moping by a rather loud and excited Miku. That in and of itself was more than enough to get the green-haired girl's attention. Normally her friend was only excited by things that were…well…nerdy…? So she was half-expecting to see an article about some new species of animal discovered.

"What? This better not be about that volcano-rat again. 'Cause last time was…"

And the words of complaint she was uttering died on her lips as she looked at the screen. "N-no way! But a minute ago it was thirty-nine! How did…?" Without waiting for an explanation Miku decided she might as well show her friend and hope her luck held fast. Again she scrolled over to the refresh button, waited a moment, and once again pressed the icon.

_Hatsune Miku: Nekomimi Switch _

_Views: 177_

Again, words seemed to fail both of them as they simply sat there. Clicking the refresh button time after time for what felt like hours. And it wasn't until they broke a thousand views one hour after their first click of the button that they finally reacted. And boy, did they react. Their scream of joy was so loud that even the now aloof Teto came down the stairs in wonderment. The sight of her elder sister and her friend laughing, jumping, cheering and just plain making noise from joy was most likely not what she had been expecting to see. And as it did little to help her sour mood, it was without acknowledgement from either party that the petite red-head returned to her room to sulk anew.

Miku's parents had fortunately busy working, and not been home at the time so the explosion of noise went without repercussion. Though Haku would probably return from teaching her piano lessons in a few hours. "You know what this means though right?" An enthusiastic Gumi questioned as she began gathering her things. At once Miku's expression changed from ecstatic to confused, so Gumi simply smiled and shook her head. "It means we better start working on the next song!" At those words the blonde's expression turned from confused to appalled.

"Another one? You're not serious?!"

And as the green-haired girl began to laugh, Miku grew worried. _'This probably won't end well for me…or my dignity…'_

* * *

The next few days at school saw a radical change for the two friends.

The mornings would begin normally enough. They'd met up outside Gumi's place (no longer joined by Teto) and continue on the path towards the school. They'd engaged in an animated conversation about the video's progress now being at over one hundred-thousand views! Greeting people that passed them by with a 'Good Morning'. It wasn't until they got to the school that Miku began to notice something odd. It started slow, so it had been hard to notice but eventually Miku had seen the oddity.

Most everyone that greeted them only greeted Gumi, and only nodded or said a simple 'morning' or 'hello' to herself. That in and of itself wasn't very odd, even now in high school she was still an outcast. Whereas Gumi was more of a socially accepted person despite her appearance for being a member of a club, and having a very outgoing personality. Not to mention the fact that Gumi had begun to show signs to what would definitely be a _very_ well proportioned figure. Whereas she herself was still devastatingly flat in just about all categories, she often found herself thinking with no small amount of envy. No, what Miku found odd was that as people saw Gumi, they began to whisper and point her out. Yet as far as she could tell, there was no animosity behind this action. Gumi meanwhile, had remained oblivious of this fact and had continued in a normal manner.

Seeing no real need to point this out, as it was of no real harm the young blonde merely shrugged and continued on as normal. Bidding farewell to her friend she made her way to her own homeroom. She'd be meeting Gumi at lunch on the school roof, as per usual, to discuss some ideas she was having in regards to the next video she wanted to make. Sighing she proceeded to take her seat and wait for the day to begin. Not knowing that today would be the day that would mark the beginning of change in her life.

Gumi never showed up during lunch. In fact, Miku was hard pressed to see her best friend that day. The teachers had decided to dump large amounts of work on them in lieu of the upcoming refresher exams. As such she assumed Gumi had fallen victim to her lack of work ethic and was forced to spend her lunch hammering out a study schedule with her strict teacher. Though disappointed, Miku could only shrug and was content to spend a quiet lunch on the roof.

'_It's just one day after all. I'll just wait for Gumi after school and we'll talk then.'_

Nodding as she sat there enjoying her meal and singing softly to herself, she was completely unaware of the lone figure that watched her.

* * *

Gumi didn't show up after school either. Miku was well aware that Gumi had Choir Club that day, and had proceeded to the library in an effort to help pass the time until her best friend got out. And when the bell signaling the end of club activities rang she had relocated to the front entrance of the building to wait. And wait. And wait some more. Finally after fifteen minutes of waiting Miku decided to head up to the choir room to see what was holding her friend up. Upon arriving, she'd asked the only person still there (a teacher) as to the whereabouts of her friend. She was therefore surprised to hear that Gumi had never shown up to the club that day. Now very much concerned she thanked the teacher and excused herself before heading out of the school and directly to Gumi's house.

Missing lunch had been weird, but not unexplainable. Missing choir club was not quite so easily dismissible. Gumi gave her all to that club in the hopes of one day being able to accomplish her dream of being a singer. So this, plus missing lunch earlier in the day started to worry her. Taking a deep breath to calm herself when she arrived outside of her friend's house, she knocked on the door and waited. It took about a minute, but she heard footsteps coming down towards the door and stepped back a bit to allow the door to be opened by a slightly older girl with shoulder-length lime-green hair. As the two looked at each other, the older girl gave her a very charming smile and held out her hand.

"Hello there! You must be Kasane Miku huh? My little sister talks about you quite a bit." A little taken aback by the soft but energetic tone of the older woman, she could only nod as she shook the girl's hand. And found herself blushing slightly when she caught a full view of the girl, she had a very slim figure similar to that of gymnast but was more than blessed in the chest area…which was currently unhidden by the tight top that showed off quite a bit of skin.

"Like what you see?" She teased as she leaned forward a bit, pushing her breasts in the smaller girl's face. And as Miku's face began to turn a deep crimson and she began to sputter, a soft laugh escaped the older girl. "So adorable! Well, I guess I've had my fun. You're looking for my sister right? She's upstairs in her room." As she turned and left out the front door, she stopped and turned to face her, "Oh, loved the dance by the way. I'm looking forwards to your next video cutie!"

Miku honestly didn't know how to feel about that comment. While she was indeed worried about being found out so easily, she'd also been called cute…

Clearing her head of such confusing thoughts she proceeded up the stairs to Gumi's room. "Hey Gumi, are you there?" She questioned softly as she knocked on her door. Almost immediately the door opened to reveal a slightly disheveled and concerned Gumi. "Hey Miku, sorry about ditching ya at lunch and not waiting for ya after school." The green-haired girl answered as looked at her friend guiltily. Shaking her head the blonde made her way inside her friends room, "That's alright, I was just worried something had happened to you since you missed Choir club apparently." At that Gumi groaned as she returned to the safety of her bed. "Crap…I totally forgot about Choir club. Ah well, I've got a bigger problem right now. Or rather we do."

"What do you mean 'problem'? And I met your sister just now, how did she know I was the one in the video?" Gumi grimaced at that. "Yeah sorry about her, she didn't pull anything funny on ya did she?" A slight blush came across Miku's face, but she shook her head in the negative. "Yeah, well she recognized the cat ears, tail and paws as the ones she owns. Plus I made the mistake of uploading the video on my own user profile." As Miku's face showed no reaction, the emerald-haired girl sighed before explaining. "What I mean is that the video was uploaded on my personal profile, the one that has some videos of me doing guitar covers and such. All of today was spent dealing with rather persistent people who've seen the video and want to know who ya are!"

At the blonde's look of horror, Gumi was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone who ya were. All they know is that you're someone I met online and got together with to make a series of music videos. Speaking of which…" She walked over to her bag and pulled out a CD, "I finally got the chance to start this audio last weekend, and I just finished it yesterday." Handing it to the blonde she smiled, "I haven't thought of lyrics or a title for it, but I think maybe ya should take care of that. The instrumental's seem a little lacking too since I'm not too good at piano. But you are, so I figured you could polish it up and that way it can be your very own song. "

A bit startled by the sudden flood of information as well as the vote of confidence Miku found herself taking the disk and putting it away. "I'll give it a try, but I'm not as gifted as you are Gumi so don't expect too much from me." She muttered a light blush coating her cheeks. The green haired girl merely smiled at her, "Ya should have a bit more confidence in yourself Miku. I've heard ya play many times and it's easy to tell how good you are. Just give the music a listen and see what happens. That's what I do. Anyways, I've got a lot of schoolwork to do now thanks to the exams." She grimaced at the last part of her sentence. Miku could only shake her head at what she had believed earlier being confirmed, and after offering to help her friend with her work she spent the next couple of hours with Gumi and the following days for good measure.

'_We'll see how things go from here I guess. At least my secret is safe for now.'_

* * *

And so days came and went for the two best friends, but it was clear that something had changed between them. It wasn't very noticeable initially, as the exam period overtook most of their following week. But it was clear that the sudden upsurge of popularity was taking Gumi deep within its grasp and she, for her part, did not seem to be against this change. She certainly didn't make it look like she preferred her new company over Miku, but there were benefits to be had by sticking around the more popular crowd. Namely one Hiyama Kiyoteru as the foremost example. Kind, handsome, top of his class, Captain of the Soccer team, and talented singer to boot, made him easily the most desired boy in school. Gumi had stood no chance whatsoever in getting his attention, something she'd confided in Miku herself in one of their many sleepovers. And had as such, resigned herself to being just one of those girls that swooned over their crush from a distance.

Now though, as the only known connection to the mysterious "Hatsune Miku", not only did she get to encounter him more often, which she did; but she was also invited almost daily in joining the group for lunch. This most obviously did not sit well with Miku. She had no problem with Gumi spending time with other people (she wasn't jealous or anything of the sort!). Rather, she was upset that _her __best friend _would rather spend lunch with a group of people that wouldn't give Miku herself the time of day, let alone join them for lunch as well!

'_The more things change, the more they stay the same huh?' _Miku found herself thinking bitterly as she sat alone, once again, in a corner of the roof during lunch. She almost chuckled at of how much irony seemed to enjoy toying with her life. As it stood, Gumi's current popularity was due to the video they'd made together, but where as Miku remained the ostracized weirdo, Gumi was reaping the full benefit. Perhaps this is how Teto had felt when Miku had begun spending more time with Gumi? If so, the she could now understand the younger girl's hostility.

'_And now I have neither my best friend, nor do I have my sister. On my birthday no less… This really is sucktastic…'_

Taking a rather aggressive bite of her meal, she grimaced when the taste of wood joined her rice in a terrible clash of flavor and texture. Sighing for what seemed the millionth time that week, she turned to her bag and rummaged around it for a few moments before finding what she wanted. Pulling out a beige notebook with a lone musical note adorning its front, she flipped thru several of the slightly worn pages filled with musical compositions. Most were plain melodies that had been floating around in her head, others were slightly more complex duets written to be played between both the violin and piano. But near the end she stopped on a very simple melody, by her standards at least. Despite being relatively easy to read and play, she looked over the piece over and over. After all, it was the main melody of the song Gumi had given her. The rest of the piece was mostly drums, bass and even a synthesizer all flowing nicely, if somewhat unevenly, to the melody. It was done to a slow tempo, a complete contrast to the previous piece and sounded somewhat sorrowful.

And again she found herself humming to the song as it played out in her head. She'd listened to the track countless times to the point where she could practically play it by ear if asked. Still, now she found that whenever the main melody played, her own humming would play an accompaniment to the notes, bringing it a new level of complexity. She still had no lyrics, but she had an idea of how they would be sung once she did. All she knew was that this was not a light-hearted song, and she would treat it as such. And as she began to write out her accompaniment, a thought struck her.

How exactly did Gumi make this music?

And she found that the more she thought on the matter, the stranger it seemed. Gumi's home situation was no secret to her, as such she could rule out her doing it there. Libraries did not have musical composition software of this sort as far as she was aware. Deciding that perhaps she'd ask the girl in question herself would be the easier course of action, she placed the lid on her partially consumed lunch box and gathered her things before standing and making her way off the roof. A quick glance at her watch informed her that a quarter of an hour remained before the next class. Making her way down the stairs, she was forced to stop as she nearly ran into a hall monitor on her way out the front entrance.

"I'm very sorry, that was careless of me." She quickly and meekly apologized to the older girl. The young woman that stood before her was definitely hall monitor material, her chestnut hair was barely shoulder-length and very well kempt. Her uniform was pristine and her posture flawless, which in turn accented her taller height and well-endowed bosom. _'Everyone has bigger breasts than I do…'_ She found herself mentally gripping before she could stop herself, but what stood out the most was her well defined facial features, as well as her sharp cerulean eyes. And though those pools of ice were protected by framed glasses, they only seemed to enhance the feeling of authority being radiated. Naturally being the 'good-girl' she was, Miku had apologized and was quickly moving into a submissive stance similar to that of a child waiting to be scolded. It was due to this nervous habit, that she missed the small smirk that played across the other woman's lips before quickly being covered with a stern frown. "Do try to be more aware of your surroundings next time miss Kasane." The hall monitor told her in a soft, but powerful voice before she departed thru a set of doors that lead to the main hall.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, the young blonde allowed herself a small chuckle at her own behavior in the face of authority figures before she resumed her original purpose for leaving the building. Opening the other set of doors, she was forced to bring a hand up to shield her eyes from the near-blinding rays of natural sunlight that assaulted her. It was still quite warm for late autumn, and so she was unsurprised to see a rather large amount of students loitering on the school's lawn, clearly enjoying the last few days of good weather before winter kicked in. Not even three steps out the door, she was forced to move to the side to avoid being run into by a couple of students who clearly made no move to avoid her. A clear reminder that she was still very much unpopular. Unperturbed, she continued on her journey to find her wayward friend. It seemed however that fate was still very much against her, for she found that Gumi was not with the (new) usual company. Surprisingly enough, Kiyoteru was not present with the group either and for some reason this caused a knot to form in her stomach.

'_It's just a coincidence.' _She tried to reason to herself, _'Gumi is probably using the bathroom or something, and Kiyoteru might be with his teammates.' _Though these words seemed hollow even to her. Deciding to take a chance on her first thought, she made her way to the closest bathroom. Along the way she could hear the occasional giggle or snicker and was unsurprised to find that most of them were directed at her. Again, nothing strange in and of itself, but for some reason this time it seemed to make that feeling of dread inside her build all the more. As she prepared to turn the corner however, she was stopped by a small gathering of students, most of which were female. Fortunately for her, it seemed she was not noticed by them and they were too far from her locker for it to be some petty form of vandalism so she ruled that out. Thinking that it was probably best she not push her luck, she was about to leave when she heard an all too familiar voice say one single word.

"_Yes."_

Eyes widening, she watched with shock, which in turn became horror, as a small opening in the crowd revealed a flushed looking Gumi. A flushed Gumi that was currently locked in an embrace of both limbs and lips with none other than Kiyoteru Hiyama. Her cry of shock was drowned out by the cheers, cat-calls and groans of the other students.

"_No…" _Miku whispered to no one in particular as she watched the happy couple celebrate before being swallowed by the crowd.

"_Please god, no…" _Her voice suddenly hoarse tried again as she watched a smiling Gumi celebrate with some of the girls in the group.

Her vision began to blur as a torrent of sorrow hit her.

"_Gumi…" _she tried again; and this time, though her voice was barely audible, shinning emerald looked her way and their gazes locked. And in that moment, Miku knew. She wanted to try and deny the understanding that came over her. She wanted to believe that Gumi would not just simply abandon her, would not just forsake their friendship for popularity and a guy. But she already _knew. _

Gumi looked away.

And that was when she broke.

* * *

She didn't recall much, all Miku knew was that she was running.

Or perhaps she didn't want to remember.

She didn't want to remember the laughter.

She didn't want to remember the smiles.

She didn't want to remember the kind words, or the encouragement.

She didn't want to remember that they were best friends.

Because they weren't…

…not anymore.

* * *

Hours later, Miku awoke with a start. Instantly she knew one thing, she hadn't been dreaming. The pain in her chest, plus the ache in her jaw from trying to keep from a full breakdown were clear indicators. Add to this the dry trail of tears on her cheeks and the puffy feeling of her eyes, and you had one serious wreck of a pathetic individual formally known as Kasane Miku. A severe shudder let her numb mind know one other thing, she was cold. Dull aquamarine eyes looked about her surroundings, not really registering what it was they were perceiving. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, her addled mind put together the facts to give her one conclusion: she was on the roof. And judging from the position of the sun, it was well past the end of the school day.

Normally, she would complain about her lithe body but now she found herself thankful for her petite frame. Thanks to that, she had been able to seclude herself in the small gap between an air ventilator and a wall. She wasn't exactly sure how, or when, she'd hidden inside this small three-foot gap, but she was thankful for it. She'd definitely be told off by her parents for effectively ditching class, but she found that she couldn't quite care right now. Taking a moment to stretch she reached into her bag, which had somehow also not left her side, and pulled out her cell phone.

**16:45, 31/8/2006 **

**(No new mail)**

A mirthless laugh escaped her at the sight of the display. Which quickly began to turn to chocking sobs, no one seemed to have noticed that she was gone. Taking a shaky breath to try and compose herself, she leaned her head into the chain-wire fence that surrounded the roof.

'_I suppose, with everything that's happened today, it can't get any worse right?'_

And as if on cue, she heard the tell-tale clicking of the rooftop entrance opening. _'Great…I just had to ask right?' _A surprising feeling of apathy overtook her as she turned and looked towards the door. There standing in the open door way, was…

…a girl?

"So this is where you've been hiding miss Kasane?"

The voice the girl spoke in was familiar somehow. Turning fully, she began to make out some of the finer details: short brown-hair, glasses, tall, big boobs. Why did she get the feeling she'd met this girl before? Before she could question her however the girl spoke again.

"It seems you made quite a show as you sprinted down the halls miss Kasane." The tone she spoke in was soft, almost placating really, but there was something more there, something she couldn't quite figure out. "After all, it's not everyday you see a young girl in tears borderline stampeding thru a school." Ah, there it was, contempt…or was it envy? Why would she be envious of her? "I had begun to believe that fame had distorted your ability to comprehend and follow the rules."

'_Fame? What is this girl talking about?'_ She found herself wondering, even as alarms began to go off in her head. But the girl continued as she began to walk closer to her, each step making her seem like a lioness closing in on her prey. "But looking at you now, I can clearly see that you're nothing but a confused and heartbroken little girl. Tossed away like yesterday's news by the person she loves, isn't that right miss Kasane?" By now the taller brunette was looming over the shorter blonde, her questions/statements were simultaneously confusing and scaring the younger girl.

"Or should I say, isn't that right Miss Hatsune?"

And there it was. What she'd been afraid of had finally occurred. In the span of a few hours she'd lost her best friend and had her secret discovered by an unknown person who now stood mockingly before her.

This was now, without a doubt the worst birthday.

Ever.

* * *

_**A/N: Done. Not too happy with those last few sentences, but what are you gonna do? **_

_**First off, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this story. I had originally planned on posting this on Miku's birthday back in 2012, but it didn't quite work out. This is in fact, the seventh revision of this story. And the last part of this chapter was un-beta'd, seeing as she put up with me for six months of scrapping things and re-writing and re-editing, I'd say she was a saint for lasting that long. Sadly, she wishes to remain anonymous, but I'm sure she'll read this and will appreciate the shout out, THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK!**_

_**Now, issues to address:**_

_**1.) I'm certain I'll get a fair amount of hate for making Miku blonde. Let it be known that this is very vital to the story, and it'll all come into play later on.**_

_**2.) I built this story by bending the rules of genetics theory to a high degree. Haku is indeed an Albino, and Albino's are known for their genetically mutated genes causing white-hair and pale-pink eyes. Therefore it is theoretically possible for a child to inherit the genes for red-hair (From Ted) and pink eyes (From Haku). Stupidly improbable, I'm aware, but still might happen. Therefore bear with me, and let me scrape by with this one.**_

_**3.) Green-hair is genetically impossible, ergo Gumi and Sonika's hair is dyed. No way around that. Same goes for the rest of the odd-colored Vocaloids.  
**_

_**4.) I don't know the Japanese education system too well, seeing as how I'm American. But I took into account the little I do know and tried to make it seem realistic. If I blew anything really bad, please don't be afraid to correct me. **_

_**5.) This is a serious story with comedic elements, as such I will not be adding the suffix's like -chan, -kun, -san, and -sama. They are not necessary here, and do not need to be added. I'm not against using them, it just doesn't seem right here. I might use -sensei because there is really no other term that can be used without sounding wonky.**_

_**6.) I will be building this story on the basis that no one knows what or who they want in life. As such, I will be using lots of emotional moments and many other instances of maturity. So, that of course means the RATING WILL CHANGE!**_

_**7.) This will indeed be YURI as well as HETERO. Fair warning.  
**_

_**8.) MULTIPLE ENDINGS! That's right, I'm going JRPG on you guys in story mode. There will be three endings so far. Might add more, but for now, three are assured.**_

_**9.) I've placed a very difficult to find BRS reference in this story, think you can find it? No prize, just curious.**_

_**10.) I NEED A BETA! Anyone who thinks they can help me with my craptastic grammar let me know. Also, I'm looking for anyone that can translate Japanese Kanji. I have many not well known Vocaloid songs I'd like to use, but I can't find anyone to translate them.**_

_**11.) I'm wondering if anyone that reads this would be willing to make some fan-art for the cover of this story?  
**_

_**That's all for now I think. Opinions, feel free to tell me what you thought of this work. Next chapter will be up in about a month or so hopefully. **_

_**Until we next meet, **_

_**Kuroi-Yasha. **_

_**PS: Back near the beginning of the story I had Gumi compare Miku to Superman when it came to disguises. All I saw in my mind was Superman with teal-colored twin-tails and the 'Me Gusta' face. I'm still laughing about that.**_


End file.
